What Is Baghrir? (Moroccan Pancakes)

Baghrir is made from a thin semolina-and-flour batter leavened with yeast, poured onto a hot pan and cooked on one side only. As it cooks, bubbles rise and burst, leaving the top covered in hundreds of tiny holes (hence “thousand-hole pancake”) while the base stays smooth — light, spongy and absorbent.

The holes are the whole point: they drink up the topping. Good baghrir is soft and springy, not dense.

Baghrir is served warm, drenched in a mixture of melted butter and honey (sometimes amlou or jam), so each pancake soaks up the sweetness through its holes. It’s a staple of Moroccan breakfasts and afternoon tea, eaten alongside other breads like msemen and a glass of sweet mint tea.

It’s naturally vegetarian and a comforting, inexpensive treat.

You’ll find baghrir at riad and guesthouse breakfasts (often part of a generous spread), in cafés, and from street vendors and markets selling breakfast and snack breads cheaply. It’s also a beloved home-cooked dish.

Pair it with msemen, amlou, honey and mint tea for a classic Moroccan breakfast — and try making it in a cooking class, where the hole-forming technique is satisfying to learn.